Broken
by PhilaMill
Summary: Dark OQ. Picks up in the tavern after the Evil Queen is deposited into the wish realm with Robin. Starts off angsty, exploring the dark side of these characters (especially at this junction in their lives). This will continue to tell their full (ultimately happy) story.
1. Chapter 1

She continued sipping at her drink as Robin began to make friendly conversation. The beer wasn't great, but after the day she'd had she wasn't going to complain. The past day had contained enough emotional turmoil for a full year, and she was exhausted.

She began paying attention again as Robin made another joke about her kidnapping him.

"I'm sorry again about that. But it was the best way to get Regina to come to me so…" she trailed off.

"…So you aren't actually sorry?" Robin said, smirking at her. God she had forgotten how much she enjoyed those dimples.

"I mean I would do it again, given how it all turned out. But I'm sorry if it caused you any discomfort."

"The insults and digging earlier in the day were mildly uncomfortable, but being tied up by you wasn't half bad" he said, winking at her.

She scoffed as she sipped the last of her beer. Was he flirting with her? She didn't know if she could wrap her mind around their relationship right now, as she was still reeling from all the new emotions Regina had shared with her. She was overwhelmed at the joy and strength she felt upon being imbued with the love from all the people Regina had grown close to, but losing them forever within hours of finally understanding that bond filled her with the deep despair. So here she sat in a tavern, filled with the greatest joy she had ever felt, but not happy; filled with the greatest despair she had even known, but not hopeless. Exhausted. That's what she was. And she wanted to stop feeling all of these things.

"Speaking of tied up, is someone going to bring us more drinks or do I need to hunt them down myself?" she said to Robin.

He flagged down a barmaid who came over. "Two more, please?" he said politely.

Regina grabbed her arm as she walked away. "And a few glasses of something a bit stronger as well."

The woman nodded and made her way to the bar, as Robin gave Regina a sidelong glance. "Trying to drown your sorrows this evening, milady?" he asked.

"Trying to drown a lot of different emotions. You're welcome to head to bed; I don't want to keep you up. Of course, you're also welcome to join me."

"In the past few days I've discovered I'm an alter ego, been transported to a new universe, discovered multiple children who may or may not be mine, tried to run away from multiple versions of you, and, of course, been kidnapped. I think I've earned it, don't you?" he replied, leaning close to her and speaking in a low, conspiratorial voice. She was caught off-guard in a memory, and smiled at him as the barmaid returned with a pitcher and two glasses filled with amber-colored liquid.

* * *

The conversation flowed easily as the evening wore on and Regina quickly decided that he was funnier than the other Robin. In fact he was uproariously funny at moments throughout the night as he told stories of his encounters with the law and the creative escapes he had dreamed up. But he had an edge to him as well. Perhaps it had been softened on the other Robin by Marian and Roland, but she quite enjoyed it.

For his part Robin was thoroughly enjoying getting to know this woman. Although Robin had seen the other Regina smile, there was always a kind of sadness to it; he had never seen her smile or laugh with the carefree abandon he saw tonight. He found that each time this woman smiled with such genuine enjoyment it took his breath away. What's more, he found that he truly enjoyed her company. She laughed easily but her banter was quick, sharp, and cunning.

But as the night wore on and the drinks continued, they had slipped into a kind of melancholy drunkenness. Multiple hours had passed and Robin and Regina sat at the same table, surrounded by empty glasses and pitchers. Regina had draped her top half on the table, supporting herself on one of her arms, while Robin rested his chin on his balled-up fists on the table. They had been sitting in silence for a minute or two, both contemplating their current situations (Regina thinking mostly about Henry, while Robin mostly tried not to think about the way her cleavage was squarely on display with the way she was folded forward on the table).

"Do you think Henry misses me at all?" Regina slurred.

Robin roused himself from his thoughts and sluggishly shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't really get to know him that well, but he seemed to be an incredibly good young man. I can't imagine he doesn't miss you, as you're one of his mums."

"Regina and I shared our darkness and light, though, so we're really the same now. He gets both Regina and me in her, and there's no reason to miss me."

" You two are far from the same, trust me," Robin said off-handedly, looking past her towards the bar, which seemed to be tilting wildly from one moment to the next. He should definitely stop drinking.

"Really?" Regina said, lifting her head from her arm and looking at him. He sat up as well and tried to remember what they had just been talking about. "You think even after sharing our hearts, we're not the same?"

"I can tell you that sitting here drinking and chatting with you tonight doesn't feel like sitting and chatting with her did." Regina pursed her lips, considering this for a moment. "Is talking to me like talking to him?" he asked.

"No. Not at all." She said without having to think for even a moment. "That's definitely mixed up in the fact that it was more Regina than it was me talking to him, though."

"You don't feel like you talked to him?" Robin asked, surprised.

"I mean I was there. But in retrospect I realize that even then we weren't fully fused as a person. When we first separated I had all of her memories and I did love Robin, so I didn't realize at first that her relationship with him was separate from mine. But now that I know and feel what that love, both given and received, felt like, I understand that my love for him wasn't the same as hers for him. Obviously I was there, but she kept the 'me' part of herself walled up a bit." She trailed off at that point, partially realizing how much she was revealing, and partially trying to get her bearing as the room had started spinning a bit. She definitely needed to stop drinking.

"So you finally feel and understand the love she felt for him now, but also you never get to really experience it because he's gone," Robin mused quietly.

"Yes. It's rather depressing, isn't it?" She said, collapsing back onto her arm on the table. "And not just Robin's. I also have Snow's love, and Henry's love, and Emma's love… just all this love that I feel. And I can't express or experience any of it. Because I'm here."

"Shit. I'd be getting drunk too." Robin said, also collapsing back onto his balled fists.

They were silent again for a minute. "Why are you getting so drunk?" Regina broke the silence, curious but not judgemental.

Robin shrugged again and thought for a minute. "I guess I'm drinking because I can't imagine ever finding the kind of acceptance and family and friends that my better half got to experience. I mean all those people cared for him so much. And he had a full life, with children and a partner and friends and values. I'd never considered what that life would be like until I saw it. And being in his world I realized I could never live up to what he was. So maybe I don't even deserve to find that kind of love."

They trailed off into another silence, both draped over the table, eyes wandering around the tavern. At some point Regina looked at Robin and found he was looking back at her. Each quietly looked at the other, simply considering the broken but beautiful half-stranger sitting across the table.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina woke to the feeling of something poking her in the stomach. She shifted a bit, only to find thousands of new tiny pokes. What was she sleeping on? Oh right. The straw mattress provided in one of the rooms above the tavern.

The night before was a bit of a blur. She probably hadn't had that much to drink in, well, over a decade. She and Robin had eventually called it a night and he had asked the barmaid for two rooms. The trip up the actual stairs had taken approximately 3 hours by her reckoning, and she had eventually grabbed Robin's hand to increase their chances of making it up the two flights without falling to their deaths. After finally summiting the Mount Everest of staircases they located their rooms across the hall from one another, and he had kissed her hand as way of goodnight before finally letting go of it. Their eyes lingered on one another as they opened their doors, and he smirked roguishly at her as they finally turned away into their respective rooms.

She had been too drunk to do much more than stumble to the bed, shedding hair pins, the dress she wore over her jeweled corset and leather pants, and her shoes before collapsing onto the straw mattress (a bad choice: collapsing onto a straw mattress was a bit like collapsing onto a pile of rocks). Which brought her back to the million tiny pieces of straw that were poking into her stomach, one of which seemed about to puncture her liver. She groaned and rolled over onto her back.

The day outside her window greeted her bright, warm, and beautiful, a small army of birds heralding the arrival of the sun. Her head was definitely going to explode. What she wouldn't give for a BB gun. She groaned and threw the pillow over her face. Another a bad choice: it smelled a bit like a moldy foot. She threw it across the room and decided she might as well get up and begin nursing this hangover away.

Slowly she sat up and got out of bed. It wasn't that her head was going to spontaneously explode; there seemed to be an actual creature inside that was slowly hammering its way out. The thought of putting on her stiff and restricting dress right now wasn't pleasant, and she picked it up from the floor to find it wrinkled and dirty. Tossing it aside she conjured a softer, red velvet dress to put on over the corset and pants. This was simple magic when she was well, but doing magic while ill (whether virus- or alcohol-induced) was a shortcut to losing consciousness or one's lunch. She put out a hand to steady herself against the wall for a moment until the dizziness passed, then put on her shoes, pinned back a few unruly locks of hair with a stray hairpin, and headed out of her room. It was wonderfully dark and cool in the hallway, and she took a moment to close her eyes and lean back against the door as it closed behind her.

Across the hall Robin was facing his own tribulations. His hangover had announced itself before the sun had risen by purging him of everything he had eaten the night before, and he had gingerly sat on the edge of his bed fighting waves of nausea ever since. This time it had passed for a solid half hour and he felt he was ready to make his way downstairs to try to keep some water down. He slipped on his shoes (he hadn't made it out of his clothes at all last night) and opened the door to the hallway to find Regina, eyes closed and leaning against her own door.

He was momentarily awe-struck once again by the beauty that shined through her obvious palor and exhaustion (clearly she was tending to her own hangover this morning). Her hair flowed down past her shoulders in thick waves that he found he wanted to run his hands through. Some of her makeup had rubbed off during the night, and she looked younger and more relaxed. The red of her dress set off the slight color that remained on her lips and cheeks, and, of course, that omnipresent cleavage was still on display. He had never thought of himself as a boob man, but he seemed to be drawn to hers like a moth to a flame. He looked back up at her face and blushed, as he found she had opened her eyes and clearly knew exactly what he was staring at.

"Good morning," he said after awkwardly clearing his throat.

"That remains to be seen," she said. "And if you could keep your voice down I would appreciate it. I've already had it up to here with the God-forsaken birds and sun this morning."

Robin grinned, knowing she hadn't meant to be funny but finding her quite entertaining. He had already seen so many sides of this woman: angry, frustrated, happy, melancholy, and more. He hadn't thought grumpy would be one of the funnier sides of her.

"I was about to make my way downstairs for some water. Would you care to join me?" Robin said, extending his arm.

Regina nodded, gracefully pushing herself off the door and wrapping her arm around his own. "Let's hope those stairs are easier going down than they were coming up."

* * *

They entered the main room of the tavern to find it fairly deserted. The barmaid from the night before was wiping some glasses at the bar, and glanced at them with a strained look as they entered. Was that guilt? Fear? Regina stared at her trying to process. And it was breakfast time- why was the room so deserted? Her brain sluggishly weaved these pieces together a moment too late. "Robin we need to—"

She was cut off as the door slammed open and a group of soldiers filed into the bar. Two of them made their way to Regina and seized her by the arms while the rest leveled weapons at her and Robin. Robin saw the men manhandling her and felt rage boil within him. "Unhand her!" He yelled, pulling one of the soldiers from Regina and punching him in the face repeatedly, as Regina screamed her own "How dare you!" and began to gather magic around her hands to throw the remaining soldier away from her. She stopped short, remembering the experience with the dress this morning and realizing she didn't have the strength to take on an entire squadron at the moment. She was really never drinking again.

"Stop now or you'll both be killed," said a confident voice from the door. Regina gasped and laid her hand on Robin's arm to still his punching, and he looked up to see her, eyes wide and drained of the little color she had.

" _Henry,"_ she breathed so softly that only Robin could hear it.

"I hereby arrest you and charge you with the murder of the King and Queen, and the kidnapping of the Princess. By my own authority I sentence you to death: you will be burned at the stake this evening." Henry said as more guards streamed into the tavern, putting Regina in handcuffs and slipping the no-magic cuff onto her arm.

"Listen, it wasn't her," Robin said half-heartedly, trying to reason with the soldiers who were taking her, but knowing it was futile.

"Who is that?" Henry asked a man who stood behind the bar with the barmaid.

The man shrugged. "He spent the evening with her and they made their way upstairs together at the end of the night."

"Arrest him as well," Henry said. "I won't have a new army of her supporters emerging and thinking they can gain strength in this land. He'll burn with her." With that he swept from the tavern, and Robin and Regina were dragged after him in handcuffs.

"I've come to the conclusion that it is definitely _not_ a good morning," Regina said as she was roughly pulled past Robin. He really liked grumpy Regina.

* * *

They sat facing one another, hands cuffed behind them, in the jail cart as it made its way to the castle. The bumpy road, swaying carriage, and overall arrest scene had done nothing for either's hangover, and Regina decided this was most definitely the worst hangover of her entire life. "How did he find me?" she asked Robin quietly.

"We weren't exactly hiding at the tavern, were we?" he replied.

"But how did they recognize me?" she asked.

"Milady, you're wearing a diamond-encrusted corset and jewelry that could feed a family of 12 for a year. Even without those things you don't exactly blend into a crowd of peasants," he replied.

"Fair point," she said. "So Regina killed Snow and David while she was here?"

"Yeah. I heard she crushed their hearts," Robin replied.

She grew quiet for a moment, thinking, and Robin saw fire stirring in her eyes. "You'd think the one thing she could have saved for me is the chance to crush Snow's heart in some fantasy-not-real land where I don't actually kill the real her," she said suddenly. "She gets love, I get to live our fantasy of killing Snow. I mean that only seems fair."

Robin chuckled a bit. "I don't think she enjoyed it, if that makes you feel any better."

"No. I would have enjoyed it at least. What a waste."

"Can I ask you something?" Robin said.

"Ask away," she replied, fearing he would try to have a heart-to-heart about why she was a murderer-wannabe.

"Why didn't you just blow the whole tavern to smithereens back there and then transport yourself somewhere else? Why let yourself be captured?"

Right. This wasn't the other Robin, who would have drilled down and had some kind of an impromptu therapy session in this prison cart. She loved that this was a different Robin. Her Robin. _Her Robin?!_ _Where had that come from?_ she wondered, shaking off those thoughts.

"Honestly I was a bit too hungover. Even when you're as practiced as I am, magic still takes clarity of mind and physical strength. I had neither of those this morning. I might have blown the two of us up, or passed out before I could have transported us out of there, or any number of things," she said. "Getting drunk, probably not my best idea for the first night in a new world I know nothing about," she went on, embarrassed.

"And now? Why don't you magic us out of this wagon? That doesn't seem that difficult or dangerous."

"Really? You think that, do you? With all your experience in and understanding of magic, you've put your considerable mental strength to the task and come to that conclusion?" she bit back at him sarcastically. Immediately she regretted snapping at him and sighed. It wasn't his fault she was tired, hungover, and embarrassed. "It's this cuff. It prevents me from doing magic. And I can't take it off myself, only someone else can. That's why they chained us to the bars on opposite sides of this carriage, so you can't reach my hands."

"But if I can get it off you, then you can magic us out of here."

* * *

Try as he might, Robin couldn't seem to reach her arm. The guards never let Robin and Regina stand or walk next to one another, and they were immediately deposited into separate cells when they arrived in the castle. Rough stone formed all the walls of each cell, with a heavy wooden door containing a small bar-covered window towards the top. Although they were in adjacent cells, there was no hope of Robin reaching Regina.

"Sorry I dragged you into this," she said softly through the bars of her door.

"It's ok," she heard back.

"I heard that Henry saw Regina crush Snow and David's hearts. He must be absolutely distraught. Maybe killing me will make him feel a little better," she mused aloud.

"Are you saying your death will be ok because an imaginary-realm Henry will feel a little better?" he asked. The woman was an enigma. One moment casually discussing how much she regretted not being able to kill the fake Snow, the next being willing to die herself to comfort the fake Henry.

"I mean I don't _want_ to die. But at least there will be some good that comes from it?"

"Do you think killing you will make Henry feel better?" he asked her.

"Killing people made me feel better sometimes," she said. "I guess not _really_ better though. It was a way for me to express the anger I felt towards… myself I guess. So I wasn't really moving forwards towards actually being happy in the world. But I was moving forward in my plans at revenge, so at least I was moving forward in some way."

"Do you still think that if you completely got revenge you would have been happy?" he asked, not baiting, but genuinely curious.

"I don't know. I mean Regina was obviously able to move on without revenge. And when I think about how all that love and acceptance feels, I kind of understand. When other people love you and you love them so freely, it's impossible to hate yourself." She paused then. "But I do still wonder if there would have been a type of happiness in total revenge. If I could have gotten rid of Mary-Margaret and David and Emma and just taken Henry away and built a little life for us," she admitted quietly. "I guess that's the part that makes me the 'Evil Queen' that Regina ripped out."

"I think about it as well, with Marian. If somehow I could have gotten revenge on everyone who had a part in her death, maybe I could feel better. Or feel normal again, and move on with my life."

"Do you think _you_ had a part in her death?" Regina asked quietly.

He took awhile in answering, but finally she heard a soft "Yes."

"I think that's my problem. No matter how many people I punish for things that happened, I'll never be able to get away from myself. And I'm part of what happened in the past. But Regina was able to move past that to happiness."

"And you think Regina and my other half were able to be happy because they had learned to live with themselves?" he asked.

"I guess? They certainly seemed pretty damn self-satisfied most of the time. It drove me up the wall watching it. But maybe they were onto something."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of approaching footsteps. Two guards unlocked the doors and roughly hauled them out, cuffing their hands behind them once more. They were led down a long passageway and out into a large sunset-lit courtyard, where two stakes were set up on top of a large pile of brush and wood. A small stage had been erected facing the stakes, and Henry and a number of people from the court were seated. As they approached the stakes, the guards removed the cuffs and replaced them with tight rope, tying their hands behind them around the stakes. Regina looked into the crowd and saw Henry's face. He looked so grown up, but in his eyes she could still see the little boy. And he looked… scared. She saw sadness and fear and doubt, and she knew.

Regina looked over at Robin with a panicked look. "You're right it isn't going to make him feel better. I don't want him to watch us burn. No 16-year-old should have the weight of leadership thrust on him, and no 16-year-old should have to watch another human being die to prove his strength. Get us me out of this cuff!"

"I'm working on it," he said. And indeed she saw his hands frantically working on the rope knot behind him.

A line of ten guards stepped forward at that moment, setting arrows to their bows that were set on fire by a second set of guards. The leader looked at Henry, who nodded his head, and the lead archer yelled "Ready! Aim! FIRE!"

Ten flaming arrows flew through the air and landed in the dry brush at their feet. The flames immediately lept to life, licking ominously at Regina's feet.

The smoke was beginning to billow up around her face in clouds and she began to cough. Through the haze of the smoke she looked at Henry again and saw a new feeling coming alive in his eyes: despair. " _Robin,"_ she hissed.

"I know!" he replied.

The flames had begun to lick at her dress at this point, and Robin's cloak was fully aflame. The heat from the flames was beginning to burn, but it was nothing to the burning in her lungs. She was going to lose consciousness soon. She could hear Robin hacking next to hear, could see Henry's face wavering in the smoke, could hear the sickening cheers of a few in the crowd as she began dying in front of their eyes, and suddenly could feel a hand roughly clawing at her arm as Robin pulled the cuff off of her. "GO!" He yelled, and she carried them both away in a purple cloud of smoke.


	3. Chapter 3

Along a quiet stretch of road in the middle of the forest, a small rabbit picked its way through a patch of clover, munching away. The silence was broken by a cloud of purple smoke that appeared from nowhere. This was followed by two people landing in a heap on the ground, where they frantically beat the fire out of their clothes as they coughed harshly into the quiet night.

Robin had slowly gotten to his feet, but remained doubled over breathing heavily and coughing weakly. Because of the way the wind was blowing in the courtyard he had been spared much of the smoke from the fire, which had instead blown directly towards Regina. He looked over to find her still on the ground coughing and trying to catch her breath. He was concerned and looked around, hoping to see some water.

"Milady, I'm going to go look around quickly and see if I can find some water," Robin said. She looked up at him and nodded as she breathed heavily between coughing fits.

Robin hurried up a hill that stretched to his left away from the road. At the top he could hear the sound of running water and spotted a stream not far away. He returned to Regina, whose coughing was improving, although she remained on the ground.

"There's a stream over that hill," he told her. "Can I help you over to it?"

"Yes, please," Regina said weakly, reaching up for his hand. He took her hand and put her arm around his neck, looping his other arm around her waist and lifting her to her feet. Surprised, she turned to look at him and found her face inches from his own. Dark brown eyes stared into deep blue. As his warm breath grazed her cheek she felt a fluttering in her stomach and she let out a soft breath of her own. His eyes flicked briefly to her lips and she felt her breath catch in her throat, leading her to immediately fall into a fit of coughs. Robin tightened his arm around her waist and began making his way back towards the stream.

Regina's coughing was steadily calming down, but Robin still carefully deposited her by the stream and left her to recover as he went to find wood for the fire they would need later (he shuddered at the thought of being close to more fire, but the nights were cold and they had no shelter or warm clothes). As he wandered away into the woods Regina sat by the stream sipping water. Half an hour later Robin returned to find her asleep, sitting propped against a tree. He squatted down beside her and quietly said "Milady, we need to make camp," gently touching her shoulder as he spoke to wake her up. She opened her eyes, looking disoriented for a moment, and then nodded her head and got to her feet.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes. But ready to go to sleep," she replied.

"Me as well. But we need to make a camp and a fire to keep warm, and somehow find some food."

"I'm not hungry," she said, overwhelmed at the thought of doing all these things when she was still half asleep and annoyed that he wouldn't just leave her alone.

"Milady we haven't eaten anything today, we barely had anything to drink, and neither of us was in fighting form to begin with. I really think we should get a hot meal in our stomachs."

"Stop calling me that," she snapped. "You can call me Regina. It would be 'You Majesty' anyways, not 'Milady'. And I said I'm not hungry."

"Fine, starve to death, see if I care," Robin said hotly. "But we will need a camp. I think we can make a fire in that clearing over there," he gestured to a clearing in the trees next to the stream. "And then we can put together a makeshift shelter with some leafy branches. It looks like rain tonight. We won't get a good nights sleep on the ground, but at least we'll be warm with a fire and something to keep the rain off of us."

"I'm not sleeping on the ground under some twigs! I'm a queen, and bit more refined." she replied.

Robin considered throttling her for a moment. "What exactly do you suggest then?" he replied incredulously. "You want to poof us back to the castle where we were so welcome and claim a nice feather bed for yourself in your half-burned clothes?!"

She glared up at him, and without looking away waved her hand. Two cots with soft pillows and warm blankets appeared in the clearing. She turned and began making her way towards one of the cots.

"We still need the shelter," he called after her.

She turned back towards him. "Seriously? I just made you your own personal feather bed and you're going to complain about how I didn't make a nice tent to go with it?"

"I don't want to wake up your banshee screams in the middle of the night when it starts raining on you, your majestic-ness!" he snapped.

"I don't banshee scream!" she yelled (rather shrilly) back at him. But knowing that he was right and the rain would ruin her plans for a nice long night of uninterrupted sleep, she waved her hand again and a four-sided canvas tent appeared around the cots. "Happy?!" she said as she turned and resumed her walk towards the tent.

"Yes, but still hungry," Robin grumbled quietly.

Regina kept walking away but waved her hand one final time, and 20 granola bars fell out of the air directly over his head, softly bouncing off of him as they fell to the ground. "And if you ask me to make you a fire after what we went through today, I will happily use the rest of your clothes as kindling while they're still on your body," she yelled over her shoulder as she entered the tent, closing the flap behind her.

She wanted to fall straight into the bed, but first needed to get out of her singed clothing. She peeled the dirty clothes off of herself and conjured a pair of black leggings and a black tank top for herself, along with a lamp to light the tent. There weren't many fashions that she would be keeping from Storybrooke, but when it came to comfortable sleepwear they knew what they were doing. Realizing that Robin would also need to get out of his clothes, which were even more badly burnt than hers, she conjured a clean white undershirt and some cotton pajama pants for him, and folded them on his cot. Putting on the leggings and tank top, she slipped into the cot.

Robin watched her disappear into the tent as the last of the granola bars dropped onto his head. Honestly the woman was infuriating. He should leave her to fend for herself in the woods. Although after that last display she would probably be fine, he had to admit. He bent to get some water from the stream, then grabbed the strange packages of food (most of them at least) and headed for the tent himself. When he arrived she was already in her cot, although still awake. "Thanks for the bed, shelter, and food," he said quietly as he made his way to his cot, dumping a pile of the strange food packages on the ground between the two of them.

"You're welcome. Sorry I pummeled you with granola bars," she replied.

Robin chuckled a bit, sitting on his cot and opening one of the packages. He took a bite of it, and decided that while it certainly wasn't a dinner, it would tide him over until they could find some food the next day. Regina sheepishly reached for one of the granola bars herself, sitting up in her cot to eat it. The blanket fell away to reveal her tank-top clad top half and Robin admired her long toned arms and delicate shoulders before he could stop himself. Finishing his granola bar and reaching for a second he said "So we need to figure out how we're going to survive here without getting burned at the stake."

"We?" she asked.

"Oh. I just assumed… I mean… of course if you want to go our separate ways…" he stuttered.

"No!" Regina said, a bit more vehemently than she had intended. "I mean… I just assumed you would probably want to set out on your own, given what just happened to you because of me." She wanted him to stay, and in fact it physically hurt somewhere deep inside her to imagine watching him walking away from her. But she couldn't imagine anyone sticking by her side while she was chased through this world by peasants, armies, and anyone else that crossed her path.

"Getting burned at the stake wasn't the high point in my life, I'll admit. But then you conjured the most comfortable bed I've ever seen, and food and shelter from nowhere, so that makes you one of the better traveling companions I've ever had," he joked. Honestly it hadn't seriously occurred to him to go his separate way from her. He wasn't sure why, as it was true he would be safer if he wasn't with her. But the thought of never seeing her again made something ache deep in his chest.

"Robin there is a literal army that wants me and anyone associated with me dead," she said seriously.

"Sounds like an adventure," he said, smiling at her and finishing the last bite of his granola bar. He then unhooked his cloak, tossing it aside, and leaned down to take off his boots.

"I left some pajamas on your bed," she said to him as she finished her own granola bar.

"These?" he said unfolding the shirt and pants and looking at them. She nodded. "These are the softest pieces of clothing I've ever felt. They're for me?" he asked.

"They're just a cotton shirt and pants, Robin," she said chuckling and shaking her head.

"As I said I think you're one of the better traveling companions I've ever had," he replied, heading out of the tent to change into the clean clothes. He re-entered and she took a moment to admire the defined muscles in his arms that had previously been hidden by his shirt and cloak. The other Robin had also been muscled and fit, but the years in Storybrooke had definitely softened him a bit. These arms and shoulders looked like they had been freshly chiseled by a sculptor.

"So… about the clothes and the magic," he said, shaking her from her thoughts.

"What about them?" she asked.

"If we're to fit in here, we need to make sure that at all costs, no one knows who you are."

"So no magic around other people," she replied.

"Certainly no magic. But we also need to deal with your wardrobe and general demeanor."

"I happen to like my clothes," she said haughtily.

"Oh, believe me, I like them too," he replied, one side of his mouth twisting up in a mischievous smirk. "But they don't exactly blend in."

"I'm not going to wear burlap sacks like some peasant, if that's what you're suggesting," she said.

"You don't have to wear burlap," he said, exasperated. "But no jeweled corsets, no giant diamond jewelry, and put those things away, would you?" he said, looking embarrassed and gesturing lamely at her chest.

It was her turn for a mischievous smirk this time. "You didn't seem to mind them this morning."

"Yes, well, neither did anyone else. You're already the most gorgeous woman in any room, we don't need people taking more notice of you," he said, exasperated.

She was surprised by his frank statement, but tried not to dwell on it. A lot of men found her attractive; it didn't mean they actually liked her. He had clearly noticed her… assets… but she wouldn't assume he liked anything below the surface. She had yelled at him multiple times today and pummeled him with granola bars, after all. She still didn't understand why he was sticking around. "Fine. I'll wear something that will blend in a bit more tomorrow, and I'll make sure to keep the magic confined to when we're alone."

"Good. This is the key to our staying alive and living some semblance of a normal life for the time being: do not let anyone find out who you are," he said solemnly.

She nodded, arranging her pillows and blankets before lying down. "Fine. Regina the Queen is hereby banished, and I'll work on Regina the commoner."

He felt a sudden pang at the thought of losing 'Regina the Queen'. This sassy, bossy, stubborn, smart, gorgeous woman was apparently worming her way in deeper than he ever could have imagined. "Right. Regina the peasant," he echoed faintly, climbing into his cot. He reached over and extinguished the lamp, then settled into the soft warm bed she had provided.

With that the two traveling companions closed their eyes, pulled into a deep and dreamless sleep in seconds.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Regina opened her eyes to the sounds of quiet breathing nearby. She felt the soft, warm blankets and pillow around her and sighed contentedly. This was a significantly better start to the day than the previous one. Peeking out of the covers she saw that the sun was already up outside, although Robin still slept soundly on his cot. She took a moment to study his features as he slept.

Although he looked like the other Robin there were some subtle differences. The darker hair was an obvious one, which perhaps explained why the blue of his eyes seemed more startling to her. But most striking were the lines of his face, which stretched out to form a map of an entirely different life. He had a few more broken edges that hadn't been worn down, and she liked that the sharper edge of his personality showed on his face. Of course asleep she couldn't see the parts that were particularly intriguing to her. While the other Robin had met Regina's sharp barbs with a quiet, wry humor, this Robin came back with a fire of his own. It was exciting and fun and… maybe even hot? A little bit? She groaned at the direction her own thoughts were taking, threw the covers off herself, and quietly made her way out of the tent.

Stretching in the dappled sunlight of the clearing she caught the scent of smoke and realized it was coming from herself. Although she had stripped off her charred clothing, the smell lingered on her hair and skin and she longed for a hot shower. Her eyes wandered to the stream, and she decided to walk along it to see if it ever got deep enough for her to take a quick dip. She was delighted to find that it widened out into a small alpine lake about five minutes from the campsite.

After conjuring a swimsuit to replace the tank top and pants she dove into the water. It was cold but refreshing, and she swam around happily, cleaning the smoke scent off herself. After swimming for a bit she relaxed into floating quietly on the water, thinking about the events of the past few days. She still felt a bit raw when she thought of Henry and Storybrooke, but she also realized that for a little while this morning, as she walked through the sunlit forest and swam in the cold lake, she had felt contentment. Not full happiness, but she could see the promise in her fresh start, and she felt hopeful for the first time in awhile.

She swam back to the shore and made her way out of the lake. Putting the discarded leggings and tank top back on over the swimsuit she made her way back towards the camp, arriving to find it empty. She made her way towards the tent to see if Robin was still asleep.

Robin opened his eyes to the dim light of the early morning. Regina was coming through the flap of the tent wearing the jeweled corset and red velvet dress from the day before. _Where did the burns go_ he wondered for a second before she began slowly making her way towards him, swaying her hips alluringly as she went, and all coherent thoughts fled his mind.

"Good morning," Robin said clearing his throat.

"That's the plan," she purred back at him, arriving next to his cot and climbing onto it. She placed on leg on either side of him so that she was straddling him, and one edge of her mouth twisted up as she reached up to unhook the clasp at the front of the velvet dress. She slowly slipped it off her shoulders as he watched, his breath hitching in his chest. He looked down at her creamy, delicate shoulders, bared by the strapless jeweled corset. She slipped her arms around his neck, bringing her breasts directly under his gaze, and he looked down and felt himself growing hard. "I was thinking it might be more than a 'good' morning actually," she said smiling.

Robin had absolutely no idea what was going on, but honestly he didn't really care. He slowly ran his hands up her sides to cup the sides of her breasts and began running his lips down her chest towards them. She moaned softly and began gently rubbing herself against him. His mouth reached her breasts and he peppered them with kisses, occasionally biting her delicate skin and immediately soothing it with his tongue. As he lavishly attended to her breasts, she continued writhing against his hard length, running her hands through his hair as she held his head against her chest. He ran his hands back down her sides, grasping her hips and meeting her movements with his own gentle thrusts. "I want you," she said softly to him, and he was happy to oblige. Wrapping his arms around her back to catch her he rolled them over so that he could pin her underneath himself, and rudely woke up as he landed on the floor next to his cot.

He rolled over and opened his eyes to find it was light outside and he was alone in the tent. "Damnit," he said quietly, bracing his elbow on the bed next to him as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Thank god she wasn't in the tent, as he wasn't sure what noises he had been making and he had a raging hard-on that he needed to get under control. He got up, piling his blanket back on his bed and taking a few deep breaths to calm down again. He wished he had a cold bucket of water with which to douse himself. As soon as his physique could pass for normal under the baggy pajama pants he made his way out of the tent, hoping to at least splash some cold water on his face in the stream.

As he opened the flap to the tent, Regina was just reaching out to open it, and the two collided. Robin wrapped an arm around her back to catch her while she clutched at his waist, and the two narrowly avoided landing on the ground in a heap. She felt… well, exactly like she had felt as he held her in his dream. Except wet. _For the love of all that is holy_ he thought, quickly taking a step back so that he wasn't pressed up against her as his mind flashed back to the dream, now substituting a dripping wet Regina into it.

"Sorry," Robin said, taking her in. Her hair was dripping water onto the ground as well as down her chest and arms, and droplets of water glistened on her arms, shoulders, and chest; he realized she must have been swimming.

"It's fine, I was just going in to see if you were up," she said, turning and walking back towards the middle of the clearing and conjuring a small towel.

It was at this moment Robin realized that while his pajama bottoms were loose, hers left nothing to the imagination. She leaned over slightly, drying her hair with the towel, and her long toned legs were on display along with an absolutely criminal ass. It turned out that he wasn't so much a boobs or ass man, he was just a 'her' man. There was no part of this woman that he wasn't attracted to, physically or emotionally. Slumped over a table drunk, calmly walking through the woods, even fighting with him- he found her stunning.

He quickly brought his eyes back to her face as she turned back to look at him. "There's a lake about five minutes walk in that direction if you follow the stream, in case you want to wash off the smoke smell," she said, gesturing.

"That would be fantastic. I'll be quick," he said, setting off for the lake and the cold-water dousing he sorely needed.

Regina headed back into the tent and was about to summon one of her regular dresses when she remembered Robin's words from the night before. Instead she produced one of the traveling outfits she had worn when she was younger- simple brown pants and vest with a rich green and brown coat over them. It didn't exactly scream 'commoner', but it didn't screen 'Evil Queen' either. She took her time putting on the outfit along with some comfortable brown boots, and then headed out into the clearing with the wet bathing suit, leggings, and tank top, hanging them over a branch to dry. She settled on a log, basking in the sunshine, as she braided her hair into a long plait that lay over her shoulder.

As she was finishing she heard the snap of a branch underfoot and looked up to see Robin returning from the lake. It appeared that he had taken off the undershirt but gone swimming in his pajama pants, and the walk back here hadn't really dried them. They were still dripping water and clinging to every part of his lower body, showing off strong legs along with parts of him that she knew he wouldn't want her ogling (although she had already seen them on the other Robin). She dragged her eyes up over a dripping wet, chiseled, set of abs, pecs, and muscle sets she didn't have a name for (honestly, she hadn't even realized some of those muscles existed), to land on his face. He was looking back at her and smirking, clearly very aware of what she had just been doing.

"Next time why don't you ask me for a bathing suit so you don't drench a perfectly good pair of pajama pants in dirty lake water. We'll have to clean those now," she said, trying to save face in front of him.

"A what?" he said, looking confused.

"A bathing suit," she replied, pointing at hers drying on the branch.

Robin was slack-jawed for a moment looking at the bathing suit, then looked back at her. "I'm sorry but are you telling me you were wearing that this morning?"

"Yes, while I was swimming," she said.

"Is that from the other world?" he asked.

"Yes. It's fairly practical. It allows you to swim without getting your clothes wet when you're swimming with other people around and can't just taken them off," she replied.

"People wear those in public?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, but obviously men's swimsuits are different because you don't need anything on the top half," she said.

"To be clear, that thing," he pointed at the suit, "doesn't have much of anything on _either_ half from what I can see. I'll stick with my clothes for swimming thank you very much."

"Fine. But next time we're swimming and you have to sit around in wet clothes all day while I'm comfortable and dry, you'll realize you're missing out," she said.

"Any situation in which you're wearing that and I'm present is one where I'm definitely _not_ missing out," he said smirking. She smiled and blushed despite herself, and he suddenly realized he'd said that out loud. He cleared this throat awkwardly. "Alright well I'm going to go get dressed, and then we can get on our way. Maybe find a town and get some food?"

"That sounds good," she replied.

He turned and started walking towards the tent, then turned and came back towards her.

She wordlessly handed him the fresh set of non-burned clothes that she had just conjured out of thin air. "Thanks," he said, heading back towards the tent.

Once Robin was dressed and had re-emerged from the tent they stood side by side facing it and Regina raised her arms to make it disappear.

"Thanks again for the camp; it was unbelievably luxurious. Probably one of the reasons I overslept, actually. That was one of the best sleeps I've had in a long time," Robin said looking over at her.

Regina stilled her movements and looked up at him, suddenly lost in a memory and surrounded by the stone of her vault back in Storybrooke. She saw another version of him smiling down at her full of adoration as the morning sunlight drifted down the stairs and dust moats floated around them. She felt hands running down her back and butt and tucking a piece of hear behind her hair; felt the cold, hard stone wall against her back as he pressed her up against it, his warm, soft mouth devouring hers. She heard him whispering loving reassurances to her and words that made her feel more beautiful than she had ever felt in any royal ball gown.

And as she came crashing back into her body in the clearing she ached inside. Not because she wanted the old Robin or the sex. She wanted the intimacy. She wanted someone who understood her at the deepest levels and loved every corner of her being. Someone who knew the balm that her soul needed and could wrap himself around her, healing her with every touch and word, spoken or unspoken. But she couldn't imagine anyone ever loving the Evil Queen that way, and she felt the shadows in her heart trying to overtake the lightness once again.

Robin stared into her gorgeous eyes that changed ever so subtly as a wave of emotions swept over her. He had seen a deep-seated happiness shining within her for a moment, but then she looked away from him and seemed to deflate as she got rid of their camp with a subtle flick of her wrist and dropped her hands to her side. They stood in silence, her staring at the empty clearing as he stared at her. Without knowing why he reached down and took her hand, then began walking them back towards the road.

As he wrapped her hand in his the tiny light in her chest flared, keeping the shadows at bay.


	5. Chapter 5

Once back on the road Robin and Regina had headed in the direction of a small town that Regina knew of nearby. As they walked they occasionally saw wanted posters with her face on them that had been put up along the road. Robin was surprised to see a few with his own face as well, although only sporadically compared to the number with her on them.

"They didn't waste any time on this," Robin said, realizing that they must have been put up the night before, right after their escape. It was disconcerting to know that soldiers looking for them had been so close to them as they slept.

"When Henry puts his mind to something it's very hard to deter him," Regina said, feeling a little pride for her son, despite the fact that his mind was now set on killing her. As they talked they arrived in a town only to find that buildings and alleys had been wallpapered with the same wanted posters.

"Gods almighty," Robin said looking around. "Do you know of any spells you can use to disguise yourself?"

"I'm not great at them," Regina replied, looking somewhat dazedly around at the hundreds of copies of her face that looked back at her from all directions. "Why don't we go back to the road and I can transport us to a different town."

"Sounds good," Robin said. Together they walked back to the outskirts of town and, making sure they were alone first, Regina waved her hand, taking them to the outskirts of another town. They were dismayed to find this town was also covered in flyers. It took two more attempts before they found a spot that had not yet been wallpapered. They found a decent looking tavern and bought a loaf of bread along with some cheese and fruit, and ravenously tore into the food as they sat at a table considering what their next move would be. Robin felt their best move was to live in the woods until everyone had forgotten about the Evil Queen. Regina doubted that would happen anytime soon and had serious issues with sleeping in the woods for the foreseeable future. They left the tavern dejected, with no plan, and with very little idea of what to do next.

As they headed out the door Robin looked to their left to see a group of soldiers coming down the alley posting the wanted flyers. He grabbed Regina's arm and steered her to their right. The alley dead-ended shortly ahead, but a street shot off to their right before that and they turned down this street to get away from the soldiers. They stopped short as they saw another group making their way up this street towards them, stopping each person and handing them a flyer. "Shit," Robin muttered under his breath.

Regina knew that she couldn't magic them out of there without being noticed, and there were no open buildings or shops they could duck into. As her mind whirled trying to come up with a solution that didn't involve exposing herself (not that it really mattered at this point, she supposed), she felt Robin's hand tighten again on her arm, and he began directing her backwards. She felt herself gently bump up against the wall of the alley and she grabbed his waist to steady herself as Robin's elbows came up on either side of her face, trapping her against the wall. She panicked for a moment, but then looked up to see his warm blue eyes inches from her own, calm and reassuring.

He leaned forward so that his cheek rested against her forehead. "My arm is blocking your face from sight, but if duck your head and turn it into my neck and under my chin you should be solidly hidden," he whispered.

Regina nodded and turned her head into his neck. She breathed in his scent- forest obviously, but also something a little spicy. Truthfully with him close to her like this she felt like there was an army of butterflies in her stomach and she was having trouble catching her breath. "You really think this is going to work?" she said softly.

"I don't think they want to intrude just to give us some fliers," he replied. "I'm going to move the arm that isn't blocking you to your waist, is that ok?"

She nodded, and he moved his arm down to hold her waist beneath her cloak.

"The…" he stopped to clear his throat, embarrassed, "… busier… we look, the less likely they are to interrupt us I think," he said.

She took his arm and moved it all the way up her side. He drew in a sharp breath, his hand clenching where his fingers wrapped around to her back, and she could feel his palm pressing gently against the side of her breast. "Then you better look busy, thief," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. He took another deep breath (her hair smelled amazing) trying to keep his composure and trying not to think about what her body would feel like pressed against his if he kissed her senseless against this wall. His entire body felt like it might explode being this close to her and not being able to act on any of his desires.

The sounds of the soldiers were drawing nearer and Regina burrowed into Robin's neck more forcefully. He gently nuzzled her, his face sinking into her hair, and he tried to whisper quiet reassurances to her. "Just keep your face hidden; they're about to walk past us and they're not going to bother us," he whispered.

He heard a rough voice yell " _Look what we have here, men!_ ", followed by a few catcalls as the soldiers noticed them. Robin felt Regina tense as a different voice said " _That's right; take her right there against the wall!_ ", and the group laughed. Robin tensed himself, ready for a fight, but the sounds of whistles and jeers made their way past them, and slowly died away as the soldiers turned onto the alley where the tavern was.

Robin and Regina both let out sighs of relief, and Robin pulled himself back and looked down at her to make sure she was ok. She looked up at with a quiet "Thanks," and she wondered if actual sparks were flying from them as his eyes bore into her own. Fearing she might jump him momentarily she looked away and dropped her hands from his side. He stepped back reluctantly and looked in the direction the soldiers had gone.

"What do you say we get out of this town and back to the relative safety of the woods," he said.

"Please," she said. They set off down the street, headed for the outskirts of town, and once they were alone she transported them to an isolated clearing.

* * *

It was already afternoon and Robin decided he wanted to go for a quick hunt and get a hot meal in his stomach. Regina agreed to make a fire while he hunted and began clearing away brush on the ground.

"Are you sure you can manage the fire?" Robin asked.

She threw him a look as she conjured a fireball in her hand and said "I think I've got it."

He chuckled and set off with his bow and arrows, returning an hour later with two skinned rabbits to find a roaring fire. They cooked the animals over the fire and then settled on some large rocks to eat.

"So," Robin began, "Day 2 of our new lives. So far we've been banished from every town in the realm, and are being actively hunted by the entire royal army. But it beats Day 1."

"That's only because on Day 1 we were almost burned alive," Regina replied glumly. "And I'm not certain Day 2 beats Day 1. Day 2 is when I discovered what my second chance really is: living in the woods, sleeping in a tent, and eating charred rabbit in forest clearings."

"Is it that bad?" Robin asked.

"It's not the life I would choose, but I guess I will have to adjust. And I guess this is only fair," she said shrugging. "Regina spent years paying the price for the things I did. Now I get to pay the price for what she did." She grew silent and stared into the fire looking quite miserable.

"Ironic that she's now the poster child for redemption, yet you happen to land in the one place where she isn't," Robin said.

Regina laughed mirthlessly. "Ironic indeed. If only I could go to a place where everyone knew Regina redeemed, like—" she stopped short and looked at Robin with wide eyes.

"What?" he asked, stopping chewing mid-bite.

"Robin! That's it! If I can get to the Enchanted Forest then I could live in my old palace, and the people there would be willing to give me a second chance!" she said, excited.

"The Enchanted Forest? Where is that? Is that back in Regina's world?" Robin asked.

"No, it's the world I was originally from," she replied. "If I can get ahold of a magic bean I can go there!" Regina set her food on the rock next to her and stood up, making her way towards the fire where she began to pace back and forth, hands on her hips. "I'm going to need a bean," she mused to herself, "which unfortunately means I'm going to be paying a visit to Rumplestiltskin."

"Hang on. You weren't here the last time so you don't remember this, but that man does not like you. You can't go to his castle," Robin said adamantly.

"He's the only person that can get me a bean, and I need to get out of this God-forsaken place," she said to him absentmindedly, already starting to make a plan in her head to get a bean.

"You're just going to leave this realm?" Robin asked, starting to get annoyed at her flippant tone.

"Why not? There's nothing here for me," she replied casually. _There's him,_ a small voice said in the back of her mind.

 _There's me,_ he thought miserably, wondering if the feelings that had slowly been growing for her were entirely one-sided. Setting down his food as well, he angrily pushed himself off his rock to make his way towards her. "Regina, you can't just go traipsing off alone into a new world! You don't even know what's there!" He knew he had no reason to be yelling at her like this, but he felt terrible at the thought of never seeing her again and wanted to yell about it.

Regina's own temper flared at his tone and she spun to face him. "Excuse me but I can go _traipsing_ off wherever I please! Just because you want to sit around in this world eating roadkill and sleeping on the ground doesn't mean the rest of us have to buy into it! What are you even still doing here?!"

"You are infuriating, do you know that?" he yelled. "I _don't_ eat roadkill and I _don't_ sleep on the ground! Even if I am, I'm just doing it because I've been running around with you for 2 days! And what I'm doing here issaving your ass!"

She stormed towards him, thrown off at hearing Robin's echo in his words. "I'm well aware that you're better off without me here, trust me!" she snapped, sounding equal parts pissed off and miserable. "Feel free to leave at any time!"

"You have no idea what my life was like before you got here so don't you dare assume that you know whether I'm better off! And I will stay with you for as long as I damn well please!" he replied.

"I didn't _ask_ for your help, and I don't _need_ it!" she fumed, leaning towards him menacingly as she spoke.

"A simple thank you will suffice!"

She reeled backwards. "Will you STOP repeating things that _he_ said to _her_!?"

"Will you stop pushing me away? Because I'm not _him_ , and I'm not going to leave you!"

She was taken aback and stunned into silence.

"I, for one, am quite enjoying getting to know you," he continued, taking a step towards her. "So would you stop assuming that I'm going to leave? If you truly want me to leave you alone I will respect your wishes, but I'd really like to stick around if it's ok with you."

She gaped up at him for a few more moments staring into the deep pools of blue that were staring back at her, then finally seemed to pull herself together. She looked away from his eyes to focus on a spot on his shirt, taking a deep breath and speaking quietly. "Of course you're welcome to stick around, Robin. But tomorrow I'm going to go steal a magic bean from the most powerful man in the land, and then I'm going to transport myself to a new world where I have no idea what's happening or whether it's safe, and honestly I have no intention of ever returning to this world. I can't imagine that you want to sign on for that."

Robin tilted her chin up with his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. They were only inches apart at this point, and he could see tears just beginning to pool in her gorgeous brown eyes. His eyes flicked down to her lips which were slightly parted, and he heard her breath catch in her throat. He looked back up at her eyes and slowly leaned in, closing his eyes just before his lips met hers. His kiss was tentative, not wanting to push her at all, but he was happy when he felt her lips respond against his own. Her hands came up to lightly grasp at his sides as she leaned into his body. His hand, which was still lightly resting on her chin, slid back to the back of her neck while his other came up to her lower back, softly pressing her against himself. His lips danced from her top lip to her bottom lip and back again, and he felt he could do this for hours and never tire of it. He knew that deepening the kiss was a slippery slope given both of their fiery natures and the verbal fireworks that had exploded between the two of them, and he regretfully pulled back from her after a few moments. She opened her eyes to gaze back at him, and he tucked some strands of hair that had become mussed behind her ear before bringing his hand to rest with his other at her lower back.

"Sounds like a new adventure, and I'm always up for one of those," he replied.


	6. Chapter 6

He kissed her. She couldn't blame it on heat of the moment or flaring tempers, which was surprising given how much of her time with him so far had been emotionally charged. But this moment was still and unhurried, one of the few islands of calm in the chaos of their past few days. She stared at him disbelieving for a few moments, feeling a smile tugging at her lips and hope blooming in her chest at the thought that, even separated from Regina, he liked her. She reveled in the feeling for a moment before a cold fear seized her stomach. Was he crossing realms and leaving everything for _her_?! She had a heart filled with darkness and she was heading back to a realm filled with memories of pain and heartbreak. She had no idea what her future held, and the thought of another person following her into that unknown void was terrifying. She dropped her eyes from his as she brought her hands away from waist to cross her arms in front of her.

"We should start planning how we're going to get there, I guess." She stepped away from him and moved to warm herself closer to the fire, staring into its depths.

Robin's head spun. She had responded to his kiss, and she had even seemed happy for a moment afterwards as she looked up at him. And then those damn walls slammed down again. He could see it in her eyes before she had stepped away from him, the honey-flecked brown suddenly losing all warmth and filling with fear. What was she afraid of? He shook his head and moved to join her by the fire, stashing this away to think about later.

"Yes, about that," he said. "I'm serious. Rumplestiltskin isn't going to help us."

"Rumple and I have had our disagreements, but I can usually get what I need from him by striking some kind of deal. What was he so angry about this time?"

"Something about a woman he found locked in a tower. Well not a woman, I guess, it was just a pile of bones," Robin replied.

She looked up at him from the fire but kept her hands warming over it. "Shit. Belle. I totally forgot. She would have died of thirst or starvation when I- when the Queen- was banished. Shit. You're right he's not going to help me," she said turning to look at the fire once again. "The bean was our best bet in my mind because I can usually handle Rumple. But the other option is Jefferson. The Hatter. He's unpredictable, but if he agrees to help us then we can get to the Enchanted Forest," she said.

"The Hatter?" Robin said skeptically.

"He has a hat that can act as a portal. I don't know if he's even still alive in this world, but it's worth a shot. Certainly a better bet than Rumple given what happened," she said. "We'll head to the house he used to live in first thing in the morning. There's not much point going tonight, and frankly I'm a bit tired from bouncing us all over the kingdom all day. I could use another night's sleep before embarking on this."

"Perfectly alright with me," Robin replied. He took a few more pieces of meat off the fire and offered her one. She took it graciously and they made their way back over to the rocks to continue eating.

* * *

By the time they finished their meals dusk was starting to fall. Regina stood up and conjured the tent, beds, and sleeping clothes from the night before, and they took turns changing in the tent and washing up at a stream nearby. After they had climbed into their separate cots they lay silent for a moment, each staring up at the ceiling.

"Can I ask you something," Regina said hesitantly.

"Ask away," Robin said flippantly, showing less fear than he was feeling at the moment. She was going to confront him about the kiss he just knew it…

"Why are you coming with me?" she asked, rolling on her side to face him and propping herself up on one of her arms. "I mean, you're welcome to stick around, but I can't promise that the land I'm headed into holds safety or a fresh start for either of us. In fact, I can almost guarantee that it holds neither."

Robin settled himself on his side as well, facing her. "I guess I'm not expecting either of those things at the moment. I'm well aware that this new land might be war-torn or filled with ogres, and I assumed that the people there knew Robin as well as Regina."

"So then why come? You hated being around people who had known the old Robin when we were back in Storybrooke," she reminded him gently.

"Fair point," he said. "Honestly, I don't know. Back in Storybrooke there was just this way that people looked at me. Filled with disappointment and sadness. When she looked at me I just knew that she was seeing all the ways I _wasn't_ like him."

"So then why would the people in the Enchanted Forest look at you any differently?" she asked.

"They might not. But the last few days I've found myself thinking about all the ways that I _could_ be like him. I don't feel suffocated by it the way I did back in Storybrooke. Instead, for the first time in a long while, I feel like I could do and be better. Obviously I still can't live up to what _he_ was, but I at least feel like I want to try."

"I guess that's good. But still, why come to the Enchanted Forest to do that? You could just do that here."

"Do you not want me to come?" he asked, suddenly realizing that she might be trying to get rid of him.

"No! It's not that," she said defensively. He gave her a sidelong glance that told her he could see through it. "I mean it's not that I don't want you there. It's just…what if after 3 days in that place I turn back into a monster? Then you're stuck in a strange realm with no friends and a crazed, evil, powerful sorceress."

"Well, this realm that we're in currently isn't strange, but it's definitely not a friendly place for me to be at the moment, given the wanted posters. And I don't really have any friends. So in your scenario I'm in exactly the same spot I'm in now, but without the army hunting for me, and with either an evil sorceress or a friend, depending on how you do. I guess my question would be what the odds are on you turning into an evil sorceress."

"50/50?" she said.

"Oh come on. You've barely thought about killing anyone other than me in the last few days," he said smiling. "That has to count for something."

She smiled as well. "Fine. I guess if I put some serious effort into it I could maybe swing it to 60/40 on me staying non-evil."

"Excellent. So you work on not turning into the evil variety of sorceress, and I'll work on being more like him, and we'll watch each other's backs and see how that works for a little bit," he said.

"Deal," she said, and rolled away from him onto her other side, preparing to go to sleep. Robin rolled onto his back and looked up at the tent ceiling. Regina closed her eyes, then opened them and spoke quietly over her shoulder to him. "Don't change too much. I like some of the ways that you aren't like him," she admitted.

Robin smiled and looked over at her form, still turned away from him. "If I'm being honest I don't mind if a little bit of the evil sticks around. I quite enjoy it sometimes."

They both fell silent after that and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

On Day 3 Regina awoke to the sounds of soft breathing once again. She opened her eyes to see Robin's sleeping form on the cot across the tent from her and thought about how nice it was waking up with another person nearby. She and Leopold had never slept in the same bedroom (she had merely gone to his room whenever requested) and as Queen she had enjoyed herself with men, but had always kicked them out as soon as they were done. The casual intimacy that was developing as she and Robin spent more time together was something new, and she found that she was enjoying it.

She sat up and stretched, getting ready to get moving for the day, and the rustling sounds woke Robin.

"Time to get up?" he asked sleepily.

"Yeah I think we should probably get moving," she said, absentmindedly noting how handsome he looked with his hair tousled with sleep.

They got up, quickly making a fire and sharing some food leftover from the night before as well as a few apples that Regina had conjured. After Robin had changed into his clothes from the day before Regina ducked into the tent to change, conjuring one of her evil-queen era dresses. In roping in Jefferson she knew she had two tools: intimidation and cleavage. She chose one of her more aggressive corsets and paired it with tight pants and a long black dress with velvet patterning on it. She twisted her hair up into an elaborate updo and added some dramatic jewelry and makeup to increase the intimidation factor.

As she emerged from the tent Robin turned to look back at her from where he was poking at the fire with a stick. He tried not to but quickly ran his eyes over her body, his jaw dropping open. He met her eyes and she smirked back at him, holding his gaze for what felt like hours. The smoldering gaze was only halted by the fire that had slowly made it way up the stick in Robin's hand, and he tore his gaze away from hers, cursing as he dropped the stick on the ground and shook his hand.

"Go put your hand in the cold water of the stream. I'll take care of the tent and the fire," she said, waving her hand and putting out the fire as she spoke.

* * *

10 minutes later they were ready to go, Robin now sporting a new bandage on his burned hand. Regina wanted to walk for a bit to wake up a little more before she had to take on Jefferson and his games, and so the two strolled up the road in comfortable silence.

"So," Robin said clearing his throat nervously. "I feel like this burn on my hand is the Gods punishing me for ogling you. And perhaps pressing my advantage last night."

Regina was stunned. No one had ever apologized to her in her life for thinking that her body was theirs to peruse visually or even, in some cases, physically. "Robin I appreciate that but you have nothing to apologize for," she said.

"I just hope I haven't been making you uncomfortable," he continued. "And I hope that last night I wasn't being presumptuous or inappropriate when I… you know… when I kissed you."

"You haven't made me uncomfortable at any time," she said, hoping he wouldn't want to talk about the kiss right now. Her feelings were all jumbled up and she felt like pulling at any particular one might cause the entire mess to collapse, and her along with it.

"Do you think we should talk about it?" Robin pressed.

She groaned inwardly. "I don't think either of us is in any headspace to be having big talks about those sorts of things right now. Can we call it 'a bit of spontaneous fun' and leave it at that for now?" she said.

Robin was a bit crestfallen, having seen the kiss as a bit more than "spontaneous fun", but didn't want to pressure her in any way. "Sure," he said.

She was silent for a few moments and then decided she should let Robin in on a bit more of the plan. "Honestly I chose this corset and dress this morning hoping to get just such a reaction from Jefferson, so I was glad to see it had the intended effect," she said.

"You wore that for the hat guy?" Robin said, trying to push down the stirrings of jealousy.

"With Jefferson my best bet is to use power and sex to get him to help us."

He stopped walking, and realizing that he was no longer walking beside her she stopped as well and turned to look back at him.

"Regina I won't let you use your body to get us a trip to another world," he said forcefully.

"In this case I meant 'sex' in the more general sense of the word, because unless he magically stopped aging like you did the man is in his 70s at this point."

"Are you saying that if he had magically stopped aging you would consider trading sex for a trip in a hat?" Robin said, looking at her incredulously.

"I don't know. Maybe. Probably not," she said.

"Did you used to?" Robin asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

She sighed, wondering if she should tell him, but decided it was stupid to lie to him at this point. "When I was younger, when I was first married, we were involved. He would come to the castle and we'd travel to other realms and then have sex, or sometimes travel and then come back to the castle and have sex. He was an escape for me in more ways than one, so I wouldn't say I was trading sex for hat trips. There was more to it than that. Not a lot more, because my heart was already closing itself off to most of the happier human emotions, even at that point. But it was something."

"Regina, all these men who ogle you and use you like they have the right to. Doesn't it make you feel violated?"

It was Regina's turn to look at him incredulously now. "For fucks sake, Robin. I was married against my will to a 65-year-old man that I barely knew when I was 20 years old. That was after my mother killed first love and best friend in front of me. If you think the worst violation I've experienced is strangers ogling me or men who trade services for sex let me enlighten you: it's not." She turned and started walking again. "And if you think I haven't violated my share of people, in every sense of the word, you're also quite mistaken."

Robin was overcome with a wave of sadness for this woman. No wonder the light that shone from her was so often hidden by that protective wall she put up. He was amazed it hadn't been extinguished entirely given what she had gone through. He turned and quickly caught up with her on the road, catching her arm, stopping her, and turning her to face him.

"Regina I understand that after such heinous acts it's easy for you to excuse lesser things imposed on you. But you shouldn't. I'll stop acting like some knight in shining armor trying to save your virtue, because I think we both know that's ridiculous on a number of levels. But I will not stop trying to convince you that you deserve to be treated with respect by the people around you."

Regina looked up at him, awestruck. "Robin if you knew what I had done to the people around me—"

He cut her off. "You weren't born evil, you were shaped into what you were by the things that happened to you. It's not an excuse, but it is true. And you came back from it by opening yourself up to love, not just from the people around you, but from yourself. If we're going to keep the odds of keeping evil at bay at 60-40 then you have to keep yourself open to real love, and to do that you have to acknowledge your right to it. You are smart and capable and resilient as hell, and whatever the things you have done in the past you won't convince me that you don't deserve my respect. "

He looked at her intently for a few more seconds and then turned and resumed walking up the road. Regina took some steadying breaths to get her emotions under control, then turned to catch up with him. They walked in silence for a while longer until they reached a crossroads.

"I guess we should head to Jefferson's," Regina said.

"I'm excited to meet this man who was able to catch your eye back in the day," he said smiling.

"He's certainly something," she responded. "And Robin," she said as she turned towards him, meeting his eyes and taking his hand in hers, "thank you. For what you said. I appreciate it."

"I meant it," he said, bringing his other hand up to cover hers. "And I'm sorry things got so heavy back there. Are you up for a hat negotiation right now? How do you feel?"

She gave him a playful smile and said, "I'm feeling pretty 70-30 at the moment," as she waived her hand and they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.


	7. Chapter 7

Regina and Robin landed in a clearing near a small but well-kept house with cheerful puffs of smoke coming from the chimney. A young girl knelt in the area in front of the house playing with a few dolls, but other than that Robin didn't see anyone. Regina made her way towards the girl, squatting down in front of her.

"Hello," she said quietly.

"Hello!" said the girl brightly, pausing in her play. She looked at Regina for a moment, then continued, "I like your dress!"

"Thank you," Regina replied gently, a bright smile lighting up her face. "Would you like an outfit like this for one of your dolls?" she asked.

"Oh, yes please!" the girl said. Regina waved her hand and out of a small purple cloud of smoke came a doll-sized sparkly dress.

"Here. Now your doll can dress up too," Regina said with a gentle smile as she presented the dress with a flourish.

"Thank you!" said the little girl.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Regina said. Robin stared in awe at the transformation that took place before his eyes. He had seen enough sides of her at this point to know that this interaction wasn't a ruse. _Who would have guessed that the Evil Queen has a way with children?_ He thought to himself, shaking his head and chuckling slightly. Regina looked up at the sound and gave him a confused look before turning back to the little girl. "I'm looking for a man named Jefferson. Do you know if he still lives here?" she asked the girl.

"You mean Grandpa? He lives there," the girl said pointing back towards the house but not taking her eyes from the serious task of re-dressing her doll in the new dress. "He's watching me today while Mommy goes to buy food and things."

"And what's your Mommy's name?" asked Regina.

"Mommy's name is Grace," replied the girl, now holding up her doll in front of her and admiring the new dress.

Regina stood up and turned towards the house before looking down at the girl again. "Thank you so much for your help, sweetheart. We're going to go in and talk to your Grandpa now; will you be ok out here on your own?" she asked, gently tucking a piece of hair behind the girl's ear.

"Yes I'm very good at staying out of trouble," she replied.

Regina began making her way to the house. "I'm sure you are. Perhaps we should work on the 'not talking to strangers' bit though," she said with a smile as she motioned to Robin to follow her.

She made her way to the door of the little house and gently knocked. After a few moments it was opened by an older gentleman who looked Regina up and down before whistling. "Well, well. If it isn't The Queen, not aged one single day. Your Majesty," he said with an ostentatious bow as he lifted her hand and kissed it gently, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Regina smirked at him and swept into the house. "You've aged quite a bit my friend, but I sense you haven't actually changed one bit," she said, turning and sitting down at his table. She motioned to him to take the seat across from her and he sat, smirking back at her as if the two of them were in on some secret that Robin had no part of. He felt a small twinge of jealousy towards this man who shared a part of Regina's life that he could never know, and he closed the door and moved to stand by the fireplace out of the way.

"What can I do for you Regina?" he repeated.

"I need to get to another realm. Do you still have your hat?"

"And you say _I_ haven't changed one bit," he replied. "30-something years later you show up here and want exactly the same thing as last time. Unfortunately for you the answer is still no," he said.

" _Still_ no? What do you mean?"

Jefferson looked at her quizzically. "I mean that you asked before and I said no, and the answer is still no."

"This was back when Snow and Charming were fighting me to take back the kingdom. Before Emma was born. I came to your house and I promised you a life of riches if you transported me to Wonderland, and you denied me?"

"Yes," he replied. "I would remind you that you were there, but now I wonder if maybe you weren't…" he trailed off starting at her intently. "I came quite close, though. Watching Grace grow up penniless wasn't easy, but I guess things turned out alright. I'm not rich but Grace seemed to be happy enough, and I have a grand-daughter to boot."

Regina was stunned. That's what had happened in this realm. Without her father she had not been able to crush his heart and enact the curse. Snow and Charming had defeated her, and Emma had never left. She looked over at Robin and, seeing the distressed look on her face, he inadvertently took a step towards her. She gently shook her head at him and motioned with his hand for him to stay where he was. Pulling herself together again and squaring her shoulders she turned to Jefferson.

"Well here I am again and I need the answer to be yes this time. What will it take?" she asked him.

"That depends on what you need," he replied.

"Just transport. I'm not stealing anything and I'm not planning on getting you mixed up in anything," she said.

"I can take you there and bring you back, for a price of course. How long did you need to go for?"

"We're not planning on coming back," she clarified.

"Regina, the same number that go through have to come back. If I take you there I wouldn't be able to come back without the two of you," Jefferson replied. "It's out of the question."

"But if you opened it and we went through without you and just never returned-" she began but was cut off.

"Then I would have a broken portal. I couldn't use it to go anywhere else until the two of you returned. Also out of the question."

"Jefferson, I need this. What will it cost me?" she asked, for once being fairly open with him.

He looked at her sharply as if he didn't quite believe the raw openness that was coming from her. "Regina I don't know if you remember this but you haven't made any effort to make my life particularly easy. You see those around you as mere pawns to be used for your own amusement. Why do you think I would help you?"

She felt her insides crumpling in shame. It was true; she had used everyone around her. She didn't deserve anyone's help. She didn't deserve a fresh start. She didn't deserve a happy ending. She felt herself beginning to spiral into a vortex of shame and self-hatred and she looked around the room shamefully trying to avoid Jefferson's eyes, until her gaze landed on Robin. He looked back at her with an encouraging smile and she remembered his words from earlier. She felt a strength growing in her and she looked back at Jefferson as a fire ignited in her eyes.

"Please tell me more about using people as pawns, Jefferson," she said sarcastically. "I seem to remember a time that you had no trouble helping Rumple take advantage of a naïve young girl who was trying to resurrect her one true love to save her from an awful marriage." Jefferson at least had the decency to look down at the table with some shame. "And after you and the good doctor helped Rumple convince me that there was no hope left for me I seem to remember that you benefitted greatly from the new, darker, Regina who was willing to do all kinds of things that got us whatever we needed when we were hopping from realm to realm."

"I never asked you to do any of that," he said quietly.

"That's true, and I know I'm not blameless in this," she said sharply. "I know that we were both young and reckless. I asked you to do things that I shouldn't have, and ultimately I did my very best to keep you on a dark path with me. But you knew I needed love, and you made it clear that you valued me and my company for very specific reasons," she spat at him.

"I did care for you, Regina," Jefferson said, looking into her eyes now.

"Yet you never said or did anything during those years while you watched as abuse and indifference warped that girl, who had come to you for help, into something dark and twisted," she said, tears shining in her eyes despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.

"Once I had gotten to know you, and I understood the fiery and passionate soul that you hid beneath that naïve and resentful exterior, I regretted that I had helped Rumple. But you were gone by then. There was no bringing back the woman that existed before," Jefferson said, still staring at her as tears pooled in his own eyes now. "But I truly cared for that girl that I sometimes caught glimpses of."

Regina wrapped her hand over his on the table between them, looking at him with some tenderness. "Then help me bring her back now. Help me go to a place where I can get a fresh start, and find the love and happiness that I was never able to hold onto in this realm."

Robin wished he had stayed outside. The raw emotion that crackled between the two of them was almost visible in the dark and quite room. The level of intimacy between these two, who had grown up together in a way, who had seen the light in each other but only nurtured the darkness, made him feel like an imposter. He tried to shrink further into the corner as he watched emotions dancing across both of their faces as they stared into each others eyes.

Finally Jefferson roused himself. "I'll do it. I'll help you," he said.

Regina smiled and leaned across the table to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you," she said as she pulled her face back and stroked his cheek.

He looked back at her sadly, and then a mischievous gleam came into his eye. "You wore that dress on purpose didn't you?" he said, eyeing her up and down. One corner of her mouth quirked up as she gave him a sly wink. "Alright," he said. "I'll get my hat and then I'll meet you in the front yard."

Regina stood up from the table and clasped his hand once more wordlessly before she turned to Robin and motioned for him to follow her outside. Once they had emerged into the yard she let out a long sigh and looked over to Robin with her hands on her hips. "You ready?" she asked him seriously.

"I am," he said with no hesitation. She smiled at him as Jefferson emerged from the house carrying an old battered hat.

"Alright," he said. I'll open the portal and then you know what to do Regina."

"I do," she said as she and Robin walked over to stand next to the hat. "And Jefferson, thank you again."

He smiled at her and stepped back as he spun the hat and opened the portal. Regina took Robin's hand and the two of them jumped in. As they disappeared into the portal she saw Jefferson take his granddaughter's hand and begin walking back into his house, never looking back at the life of adventure he was saying goodbye to.


End file.
